Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whom he has appointed as his new special advisers.

Mr Robin Walker: Cabinet Members are entitled to two special advisers. These appointments will be made in the coming days and weeks.

Food

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will, in his negotiations to leave the EU, retain production chain food traceability measures for live animals, animal-based products and plants.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will, in his negotiations to leave the EU, retain common European control of food standards, animal feed safety and food hygiene.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will, in his negotiations to leave the EU, retain free movement of animals as (a) pets and (b) farm animals.

Mr Robin Walker: We continue to receive views across the range of the Department’s responsibilities following the outcome of the EU Referendum. Defra will be working on our future policies in this area, liaising closely with other key departments on future support for agriculture, animal welfare, and the food and drink industry. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.

Alcoholic Drinks

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will, in his negotiations to leave the EU, ensure that the agreement puts no legal obstacle in the way of the Scottish Government's policy of minimum alcohol pricing.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government will fully involve the devolved administrations, including Scotland, as we prepare for negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU. We are working towards securing the best possible deal for the whole UK. The Government will continue to consult a broad range of stakeholders, including governments and business, on the implications of the referendum result.

Common Agricultural Policy

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he plans to take during negotiations on leaving the EU to ensure that people in the UK who benefit from the Common Agricultural Policy are not disadvantaged by the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We continue to receive views across the range of the Department’s responsibilities following the outcome of the EU Referendum. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the EU and current EU funding arrangements will continue unchanged. Defra will be liaising closely with other key departments, the industry and the public on future support for agriculture and its beneficiaries.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with other EU member states on the rights of UK nationals living in those countries.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy that nationals from other EU countries who are resident in the UK will be able to remain in the UK after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The rights retained by EU nationals here and British citizens in other EU states once the UK has left the European Union will be agreed during the course of negotiations. The Government fully expects that the legal status of EU nationals in the UK will be properly protected when we leave the EU. We also expect the same for British nationals in other EU Member States.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials his Department will have once it is fully staffed; and by what date he expects his Department to be fully staffed.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the number of officials that will be employed by his Department in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the (a) budget and (b) staffing level will be for his Department in 2016-17.

Mr Robin Walker: The new Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff from various departments across Government. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are under consideration.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what role the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations have in negotiating with the EU.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what role the Scottish Parliament will have in negotiations related to the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government will fully involve the devolved administrations, including Scotland, as we prepare for negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU. We are working towards securing the best possible deal for the whole UK, and to achieve this we will need to work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations at official and ministerial level. I addressed this subject in greater detail in the debate held on 21 July: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-21/debates/16072153000001/EUExitDevolvedGovernments

UK Withdrawal from EU

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what criteria his Department has drawn up that must be satisfied before the Government activates Article 50.

Mr Robin Walker: The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship. The Prime Minister has said she will not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives, and Article 50 should therefore not be invoked before the end of this year.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans his Department has to ensure that Gibraltar and other Overseas Territories will be included from the beginning in negotiations related to the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are committed to working closely with the UK Parliament, devolved administrations, Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies and a wide range of other interested parties on what approach the Government should take to negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU. I addressed this subject in greater detail in the debate held on 20 July: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-07-20/debates/16072020000001/EUReferendumGibraltar

EU Law

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will, in negotiations to leave the EU, ensure that courts retain the ability after the UK leaves the EU to put questions of EU law for matters arising before the UK left the EU to the Court of Justice.

Mr Robin Walker: Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the arrangements relating to the UK’s withdrawal are to be made between the UK and the EU in a withdrawal treaty. Our efforts will be focused on getting the best deal possible for the UK in the negotiations with the EU.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with other EU countries on the timetable for triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

Mr Robin Walker: The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship. The Prime Minister has said she will not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives, and Article 50 should therefore not be invoked before the end of this year.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans the Government has to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Robin Walker: The Prime Minister has said she will not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives, and Article 50 should therefore not be invoked before the end of this year. The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship.

Science: Finance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on funding for the UK's life sciences sector.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government recognises the importance of our research base, which is why we have protected the science budget in real terms from its current level of £4.7 bn for the rest of the parliament.The referendum result has no immediate effect on the right of researchers to apply to or participate in EU research programmes. We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded. While the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU arrangements continue unchanged. UK participants, including those researching mental health issues, can continue to apply to programmes in the usual way. The future of UK access to these programmes is one of many issues to be addressed in our EU negotiations.

Parliament

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to consult Parliament on the triggering of Article 50.

Mr Robin Walker: The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected and delivered. While legally there is no obligation to consult Parliament on triggering Article 50, it will clearly have an important role in making sure that we find the best way forward.

Visas: EU Nationals

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the practical consequences of re-introducing a visa system for EU citizens entering the UK and the ability of UK embassies and consulates to fulfil this requirement.

Mr Robin Walker: The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship, including freedom of movement, will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship.

Department for Education

Languages: GCSE

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students in English state schools took at least one GCSE in a foreign language at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2014-15; and whether her Department made an estimate of the number of students expected to take at least one GCSE in a foreign language under the planned 90 per cent English Baccalaureate target.

Nick Gibb: The number and percentage of pupils in English state-funded schools who were entered for a foreign language GCSE in the 2014/15 academic year is published as part of the key stage 4 school performance tables.[1] To enter the EBacc, pupils must enter an approved qualification at key stage 4 in either an ancient or a modern foreign language. This means that when 90% of pupils are taking the EBacc, at least 90% of pupils will enter at least one language qualification.[1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data?currentstep=datatypes&regiontype=all&la=0&downloadYear=2014-2015&datatypes=ks4

Languages: GCSE

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the subjects most likely to be affected by a reduction in the number of people taking them in the event of a significant proportion of young people required to take a foreign language GCSE.

Nick Gibb: In implementing the EBacc, the Government remains fully committed to ensuring all pupils receive a well-rounded education. All state-funded schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. We expect all schools to continue to offer a wide range of options beyond the EBacc, so that pupils have opportunities to study subjects that reflect their individual interests and strengths. The EBacc has been designed to be limited in size to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for other subjects. On average, pupils in state-funded schools enter nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than ten for more able pupils.[1] For many pupils, taking the EBacc will mean taking seven GCSEs; and for those taking triple science, it will mean taking eight. This means that there will continue to be room for pupils to study other subjects.We set out our EBacc proposals in our consultation on implementing the English Baccalaureate. We will respond to the consultation in due course.  [1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&geographic=all&region=0&phase=secondary&for=Key%20stage%204%20performance&basedon=Exam%20entries&show=All%20pupils&&schoolTypeFilter=allSchools

Languages: GCSE

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the relative value of a foreign language GCSE compared to a qualification in a creative or technical subject; and what the evidential basis for that policy is.

Nick Gibb: The consultation on implementing the EBacc set out our ambition that at least 90% of pupils in mainstream secondary schools will enter GCSEs in the core academic subjects – English, maths, science, history or geography and a language. These subjects are all facilitating at A level, and help to keep options open for future work or study. The consultation, which finished on 29 January 2016, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-english-baccalaureate The Government strongly believes that study of a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures, fosters pupils’ curiosity, and helps pupils to develop intellectually. It also equips pupils to study and work in other countries. Language skills are in demand from employers. These are all reasons why a language forms part of the core academic curriculum. Between 2000 and 2010 the proportion of pupils taking a modern foreign language at GCSE declined from 76% to just 43%.[1] It is right that the Government is acting to address this. In implementing the EBacc, the Government remains fully committed to ensuring all pupils receive a well-rounded education. All state-funded schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. We expect all schools to continue to offer a wide range of options outside of the EBacc, so that pupils have opportunities to study subjects that reflect their individual interests and strengths. We have extensively reformed GCSEs to ensure that they are the gold standard qualification at 16 and in particular to bring them into line with expected standards in countries with the highest performing education systems. Ensuring that the qualifications that our young people hold are rigorous and stand comparison with the best in the world is vital if we are to give them the best opportunity to succeed in life. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4

Languages: Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Schools of 4 July 2016, Official Report, column 210WH, what the evidential basis is for the statement that 77 per cent of UK employees say that they need more employees with foreign languages.

Nick Gibb: The figure to which I referred on 4 July was derived from a survey by the Confederation of British Industry’s Education and Skills Survey 2015[1] which found that only 23% of businesses said they had no need for foreign language skills among their employees. [1] http://news.cbi.org.uk/reports/education-and-skills-survey-2015/

Class Sizes: East of England

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Key Stage 1 children in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk and (c) the East of England were in classes of more than 30 children in the academic year beginning September (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013, (iv) 2014 and (v) 2015.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils in key stage one classes of more than 30 pupils for each of the years and locations requested is given below, along with the corresponding number of classes:-Bury St Edmunds ConstituencySuffolk Local AuthorityEast of England-Number of PupilsNumber of ClassesNumber of PupilsNumber of ClassesNumber of PupilsNumber of ClassesJan-111575468153,735119Jan-12963408134,905157Jan-13311529176,575211Jan-14933437147,705247Jan-151244751249,338299Jan-161555716239,451303This information has been taken from the Local authority tables and underlying data of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release[1] for the corresponding year.Of those infant classes with more than 30 pupils, roughly 95% of pupils are in classes of 31 or 32 pupils and larger classes are uncommon. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers

Teachers: Strikes

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers went on strike in Lancashire on 5 July 2016.

Nick Gibb: Of the schools in the North West with a known status, over 80% remained open or partially open to students. The Department cannot release this information at local authority (LA) level, or the number of teachers who went on strike as this data is provided voluntarily by LAs on the understanding that it will not be published.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to ensure that the early years workforce strategy encourages the recruitment and retention of early years teachers.

Nick Gibb: We recognise the importance of the Early Years workforce in improving quality and delivering better outcomes for children. That is why we are committed to publishing an Early Years workforce strategy. The strategy will set out how we will help to remove barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff. As part of the strategy, we will look at the barriers to increasing the number of graduates in the workforce. The Government currently delivers Early Years initial teacher training places, funds eligible graduates to undertake training and also provides student bursaries. Information about training routes is available from the Get into Teaching site: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

Primary Education: Class Sizes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Key Stage 1 were taught in classes of more than (a) 30 and (b) 35 pupils in the academic year beginning September 2015 in each region of England.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils in Key Stage 1 classes of more than 30 and 35 pupils in each region of England relating to the academic year beginning September 2015 can be found in table 11 of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2016’ statistics[1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

Priority School Building Programme

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the results of the post-occupancy data on schools built under wave 1 of the Priority Schools Building Programme will be published before wave 2 begins.

Edward Timpson: The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is rebuilding and/or refurbishing those school buildings in the worst condition across the country. We expect to deliver the vast majority of the new school buildings in Phase 1 by the end of 2017, two years earlier than originally planned. Work on schools in Phase 2 of the programme has recently begun and good progress is being made. The Department is collecting a range of post-occupancy data on schools under Phase 1. For post-occupancy evaluation to be truly representative, schools need to be operational for a full year to experience all the seasons. The results of the post-occupancy exercise will be published once it is complete. Lessons learnt on Phase 1 are being transferred to Phase 2 of the PSBP.

Ministry of Justice

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many decisions taken on claims for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment have been appealed in (i) Birkenhead and (ii) the UK in each of the past five years; and how many of those appeals have been successful.

Sir Oliver Heald: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 30 June 2016.The correct answer should have been:

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold accurate information on the volumes of appeals received against claims for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The tables below provide information on the number of appeals against decisions taken on ESA and PIP claims that were found in favour of the appellant in Birkenhead and Great Britain1.ESA claims (excluding reassessment decisions) 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Great Britain162,14756,04288,94624,97943,77325,831Birkenhead306163664203277 PIP2 claims (excluding reassessment decisions) 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Great Britain100213,37442,35420,659Birkenhead00141190 1 HMCTS administer appeals received from appellants living in England, Scotland and Wales. The Appeals Service, part of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, administers appeals from appellants living in Northern Ireland.2 PIP started to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold accurate information on the volumes of appeals received against claims for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The tables below provide information on the number of appeals against decisions taken on ESA and PIP claims that were found in favour of the appellant in Birkenhead and Great Britain1.ESA claims (excluding reassessment decisions) 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Great Britain162,14756,04288,94624,97943,77325,831Birkenhead306163664203277 PIP2 claims (excluding reassessment decisions) 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Great Britain100213,37442,35420,659Birkenhead00141190 1 HMCTS administer appeals received from appellants living in England, Scotland and Wales. The Appeals Service, part of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, administers appeals from appellants living in Northern Ireland.2 PIP started to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system.

Prison Service: Working Hours

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for (a) prison officer and (b) prisoner safety of prison officers working in shifts at other prison establishments in addition to those prison establishments at which they are based.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There is a requirement that home/parent establishments maintain records of all official duties carried out by members of staff, both those duties within their home/parent establishment and within or for any other establishment. Establishments are also required to maintain records when members of staff from other establishments carryout duties within or for their establishment.Individual members of staff have a responsibility to support the above and are required inform their parent establishment of their wish/intention to work additional hours at another establishment, in advance of the hours being worked.When members of staff are deployed to another establishment for a protracted period on Detached Duty they are given an appropriate induction to familiarise them with specifics of the prison and key issues relating to individual prisoners. If standard duties are carried out on an ad hoc basis for other establishments standard risk assessments and briefs will be carried out.In all circumstances records should be maintained.

Crime: Victims

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to publish its green paper on reform of the law supporting victims.

Dr Phillip Lee: We have committed to introduce measures to further increase the rights of victims. It is important that we take the time to get this right and we will announce our plans in due course.

Offenders: Employment

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the performance of (a) the National Probation Service and (b) community rehabilitation companies in placing ex-offenders into employment in (i) Norfolk and (ii) England.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We assess the performance of the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) through a range of service levels and, for CRCs, through a robust contract management and assurance process. Performance information against these service levels is published quarterly but it does not include an assessment of performance in placing offenders into employment. We have, however, introduced enhanced measures of resettlement which include the recording of employment at the start and end of the sentence and at the end of the licence supervision period for any offender. We aim to include this in future publications, for both CRCs and the National Probation Service, once data collection has bedded in. We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Crime: Victims and Witnesses

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing police and crime commissioners to commission witness and victim support services.

Dr Phillip Lee: The majority of support services for victims and witnesses of crime have, since April 2015, been commissioned and funded locally by Police and Crime Commissioners, who are generally best placed to provide services to victims of crime in their areas. Some support services for victims and witnesses currently remain nationally commissioned, including support for families bereaved by murder and manslaughter and by road crime, female and male victims of rape, victims of terrorism and victims and witnesses at criminal courts. My officials are currently taking the views of Police and Crime Commissioners and other stakeholders and will provide advice to me in due course for consideration of any potential for further devolution in this area.

Prisoners: Ethnic Groups

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people from ethnic minority backgrounds were sent to prison in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of the total annual prison population such people represent in each of those years.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sent to prison in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is absolutely essential that our justice system treats people from all backgrounds equally. That’s why we commissioned an independent review to look at the treatment and experiences of BAME groups in the justice system. The number of people sent to prison in each of the last 10 years can be viewed in the table below. The table also includes the number of people from ethnic minority backgrounds who were sent to prison in each of the last 10 years. Table 1: First prison receptions1 into prison by ethnic group, England & Wales, 2005 - 2015  2005200620072008200920102011201220132014220153All ethnicities132,058128,986125,881134,148125,877118,042120,760112,774107,318103,89293,722White102,46598,74596,412103,02496,72290,09592,26586,67183,268..73,258Mixed/ Multiple ethnic groups3,3303,4973,7044,0473,9613,9463,9633,7523,567..3,192Asian/ Asian British8,5048,8538,3929,2948,9478,2498,7488,0178,026..6,533Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British15,66415,63515,03315,58513,74511,94112,26310,5689,773..8,316Other ethnic group1,6571,8752,0472,0392,0561,6581,6071,5881,440..1,308Not stated276244216125928087109109..297Ethnic group not recorded52454252982,0711,8272,0691,135..8181991 Census ethnic codes4110923529562000..0Proportion of first receptions that are from ethnic minority groups22%23%23%23%23%22%22%21%21%..21%(1) A first reception is a measure which counts a prisoners first movement into custody following a court hearing for a particular set of offences committed, and therefore gives the best indication of the number of new prisoners in the reporting period(2) Due to data quality concerns and a problem with the supply of data between 1 April 2014 and 30 June 2014, the volume of first receptions are unavailable for this period. To estimate the 2014 totals and subsequent breakdowns for the affected statistics, an imputation method has been applied. Due to the disruption in data supply, a breakdown of first receptions by ethnic group is not available.(3) Due to improvements in IT systems, the 2015 prison receptions data is now taken from a different source and, for statistical reporting purposes only, are produced using a different method.(4) Prior to 2004 the 1991 census ethnic codes were used. The proportion of the total yearly prison population such people represent in each of those years can be found in the prison population 2015 publication at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2015

Terrorism: Victim Support Schemes

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with which other government departments and executive agencies her Department works to provide support for victims of terrorism; and what steps her Department is taking to improve co-ordination between those bodies and her Department.

Dr Phillip Lee: This Government is committed to ensuring that victims of terrorism can access effective and timely support to help them cope, and as far as possible, recover from the trauma they have experienced. The Ministry of Justice works with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, which administers both the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and Victim of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme, which provides compensation to victims of terrorist attacks in the UK and of designated terrorist attacks overseas respectively. The Ministry of Justice continues to work pan Government to understand current support provision for victims of terrorism, to ensure that victims and their families are aware of the sources of MoJ funded support available in England and Wales and to identify potential gaps in support including guidance on gov.uk.

Family Proceedings

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will review the Family Procedure Rules 2010 to ensure that those rules do not restrict the ability of hon. Members to represent their constituents; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Family Procedure Rule Committee makes rules to ensure that the family justice system is accessible, fair and efficient. It has fully considered the issue of disclosure of court documents to persons who are not a party to the proceedings. The Rules and supporting Practice Directions on disclosure provide balance between transparency and preserving the confidentiality of those families involved. Hon Members could refer concerns to the Family Procedure Rule Committee for consideration.

Home Office

Prostitution: Arrests

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests were made under the Street Offences Act 1959 for the offence of soliciting by (a) age, (b) sex, (c) ethnicity and (d) police authority under which the arrest was made in each of the last five full years for which records are available.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Asylum: Families

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the application process for refugee family reunion.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Customer service is a key priority for UK Visas and Immigration, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the visa application process is kept under regular review, including by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Customers now apply and pay online in addition to being able to make appointments to submit their documents and biometrics at visa application centres in over 200 locations around the world.The published service standard for resolving refugee family reunion applications is within 12 weeks, or 60 working days. Where an application is complex and likely to take longer than the advertised processing times, UKVI will contact the applicant to inform them of this. The average processing time for 2015 was 40 days.

Immigrants: Detainees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the application of section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016, on limitation on detention of pregnant women.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce community-based alternatives to immigration detention for pregnant women released from immigration removal centres under section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has issued guidance to Immigration Enforcement caseworkers, enforcement officers and Border Force officers on the application of section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016. This was published on GOV.UK on 12 July, and includes monitoring tools to track the detention of pregnant women.It is already the case that the majority of individuals liable to be detained at any one time are not actually detained but are managed in the community through the grant of temporary admission or temporary release on bail. This includes pregnant women, whose detention is now subject to the further restrictions imposed by section 60 of the 2016 Act.Pregnant women who are to be released from detention, but who remain liable to be detained, will be granted temporary admission or temporary release with appropriate reporting and/or residence restrictions. Pregnant women have access to the Home Office Voluntary Departures Service.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Redundancy

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 July 2016, Machinery of Government Changes, HCWS94, how many civil servants the Government plans to make redundant as a result of those changes.

Ben Gummer: It is each individual Department’s responsibility to determine its workforce requirements, and this includes the new departments formed through recent Machinery of Government changes. The Civil Service constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. Cabinet Office is working with all departments across the Civil Service to better understand their capacity and capability requirements following the decision to exit the EU, but it is too early to make a detailed assessment at this stage.

Department of Health

Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how long his Department estimates the Commissioning through Evaluation analysis phase will last for (a) selective dorsal rhizotomy, (b) patent foramen ovale closure, (c) left atrial appendage closure, (d) percutaneous mitral valve leaflet repair, (e) selective internal radiation therapy and (f) stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the Commissioning through Evaluation programme to date; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the NHS of maintaining patient access to the technologies and procedures offered through the Commissioning through Evaluation analysis phase; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what mechanisms (a) clinicians and (b) patients can request NHS England review specialised services commissioning policies that previously conferred a not routinely commissioned status to procedures (i) as part of the Commissioning through Evaluation Programme and (ii) in general.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the NHS has to ensure that clinicians are able to maintain clinical expertise in procedures offered through the Commissioning through Evaluation programme in the event that patient access is withdrawn during the analysis phase of that programme.

David Mowat: Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) is an innovative £25 million programme introduced by NHS England in 2013. It specifically aims to generate valuable new evaluation data in promising areas of specialised care where the current evidence base of cost and clinical effectiveness is insufficient to support routine National Health Service commissioning, and where further formal research trials are thought to be less likely. Each scheme - put forward by senior clinicians and other stakeholders - is funded on a time limited basis in a small number of selected centres, and then evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Once the planned number of patients has been recruited across the participating centres, each scheme closes to new patients and analysis begins. This means that the funding identified for each scheme can then be reinvested into the evaluation of additional potentially life changing specialised treatments to maximise the value and impact of the overall evaluation fund for patients. As an example, routinely funding Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy contrary to the currently published clinical commissioning policy and in advance of a formal review of any new evidence would mean that between £2 million and £4 million per year (covering the surgical costs and immediate follow up only) would then be unavailable to support the evaluation of other promising treatments. The analysis phase for each CtE scheme will typically take between one and two years depending on how long we need to follow up patients after their treatment to identify its effectiveness. The three cardiology based CtE schemes are currently scheduled for a 15 month analysis and reporting phase, after which the data can be used by NHS England to support policy review. However, CtE is only one form of data that might be put forward in considering a new (or revision to an existing) policy and clinicians do not need to await the final report from CtE schemes if they feel that other new substantive data becomes available more quickly. NHS England's published clinical commissioning policies (which set out eligibility for NHS funded specialised care on the basis of the available evidence) can be reviewed at any time where there is thought to be substantive new evidence available, and around 100 such proposals were developed and considered by NHS England during 2016/17. The policy development process is subject to both informal stakeholder testing and formal public consultation, including the opportunity for patients, clinicians and industry representatives to review and comment on the evidence base considered and the assessed impact on patients, existing services and cost. Where a new service is routinely commissioned as a result of a policy review, NHS England works with commissioned providers to ensure that sufficient clinical expertise and supporting infrastructure is in place to provide a safe service to patients in line with nationally set requirements.

Cerebral Palsy: Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the NHS plans to take to maintain the availability of selective dorsal rhizotomy for children with cerebral palsy during the Commissioning through Evaluation analysis phase.

David Mowat: Recruitment of patients for the commissioning through evaluation process for the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedure has now concluded, and an evaluation of the long term benefits is now in the analysis phase. There are no plans to provide Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery to additional patients during this time.

Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish the Accelerated Access Review.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the Government has spent on the Accelerated Access Review to date.

Nicola Blackwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Charles Walker) on 12 July to Question 42142 The Government has spent £398,785 on the Accelerated Access Review. This figure covers expenditure on conferences and seminars, printing and publicity and external support. In addition, the Government has seconded civil servants from the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to support the work of the review.

Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) clinicians and (b) patients participate in the decision making process for the routine commissioning of procedures under the Commissioning through Evaluation Programme.

David Mowat: The policy development process for specialised commissioning is subject to both informal stakeholder testing and formal public consultation, including the opportunity for patients, clinicians and industry representatives to review and comment on the evidence base considered and the assessed impact on patients, existing services and cost. In addition, clinical commissioning policies are already primarily developed through Clinical Reference Groups which comprise of a range of stakeholders including patients, carers and clinicians.

Antidepressants: Prescriptions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions of individual antidepressants were dispensed in the community in 2015.

David Mowat: This information is given in the table below: The number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in 2015, classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3, using the classification system prior to edition 70BNF Chemical NamePrescription items (000s)Agomelatine21.6Amitriptyline Hydrochloride12,404.5Amoxapine-1Citalopram Hydrobromide14,403.8Citalopram Hydrochloride78.3Clomipramine Hydrochloride304.8Dosulepin Hydrochloride1,034.2Doxepin40.4Duloxetine Hydrochloride1,595.5Escitalopram932.6Fluoxetine Hydrochloride6,469.7Flupentixol Hydrochloride153.2Fluvoxamine Maleate27.9Imipramine Hydrochloride167.1Isocarboxazid1.8Lofepramine Hydrochloride253.1Mianserin Hydrochloride4.4Mirtazapine6,783.9Moclobemide20.5Nefazodone Hydrochloride0.2Nortriptyline574.6Other Antidepressant Preps-1Oxitriptan-1Paroxetine Hydrochloride1,466.5Phenelzine Sulfate17.5Reboxetine32.0Sertraline Hydrochloride9,447.8Tranylcypromine Sulfate8.6Trazodone Hydrochloride1,084.0Trimipramine Maleate73.6Tryptophan2.3Venlafaxine3,617.1Vortioxetine0.1Total261,021.6Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre1 Less than 50 prescription items dispensed.2 Total figure may not sum due to rounding